Travelrific® Travel Journal
Picture postcards in prose.™ Check out the blogroll on the front page for official merchandise and other resources!Archive for norway
More to Svalbard Than Seeds
By Linda Tancs
The Norwegian archipelago of Svalbard gained national attention recently when it opened its seed vault to visitors. The vault, housed deep within an Arctic mountain in the capital city of Longyearbyen, was designed to safeguard seeds for the world’s crops to sustain life in the event of an apocalyptic event. But Svalbard, which means “cold edge,” and its capital city should be remembered as more than just a “Noah’s Ark” of sorts for farming. As with other Arctic destinations, you’ll find your fair share of reindeer, polar bears, blue ice and, between April and August, midnight sun. Also, jazz and blues enthusiasts will find festivals at the end of January and October, respectively. And around mid-March you can celebrate the end of Arctic darkness during SunFest. Just like the rest of Norway, though, prices here are outrageously expensive. Tent-based camping remains one of the most popular and cost-efficient ways to enjoy this northernmost inhabited tip of the world.
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A Port City in Norway Celebrates Culture
By Linda Tancs
The unassuming little oil metropolis of Stavanger is celebrating this year as one of Europe’s capitals of culture. Sharing honors this year with Liverpool, Stavanger is but a quarter of its size and is Norway’s fourth largest city. Unlike Liverpool, Stavanger’s program of events is devoid of big-name celebrities and glitzy events. Instead, Stavanger is providing a forum for innovative national and international artists, among them a Belgian musical group (in residence), an Israeli dance troupe, Lithuanian Oskarus Koršunovas’ provocative theatre, and a South African puppeteer, all in keeping with the theme “Open Port.” Look for more daily departures from London Gatwick beginning in March.
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